Suzanne F

But it's completely different from Rose's. Rose's is clear, processed and sweetened; Nellie and Joe's is straight, sour juice. You couldn't make a gimlet with N & J's. But you could make one hell of a sour. (I have this in my fridge all the time.) :pucker: :pucker:

The waiter does tell you the approximate weight of each type of fish, and the price-per-pound is listed in the menu. So it's not a total shock unless you're 1) not listening, 2) illiterate, and 3) math-deficient. Although it is very easy to get carried away by the look of a selection and not pay attention to all the danger signs In spite of not having been reviewed, they were mostly full last night.

I did not, because there was more self-examination. That's the point I've been trying to get through on this thread. (Although others there seem to want only to vent their contempt, whether or not they actually read the book. )

We probably all clip favorite comics when they have food-related themes. Let's keep them where we can share them.

We went again last night with HWOE's sister and brother-in-law (the wine-and-food lover). The food was the best ever, and the service issues seem to have been worked out. No amuse this time, but we did not go hungry. We started with 4 apps, 2 on the menu and 2 specials: - Zucchini blossoms stuffed with crabmeat: that's all they were, and they were exquisite, pure and clean; - Octopus: still as tender as described above, with a delicious char; - Sepia (cuttlefish), a special: also very simply prepared, a bit chewy but not tough; - Sweetbreads: floured and sauteed, with a lemon butter-caper sauce; wow. With that we had glasses of a white Santorini (I did not keep the wine notes, sorry) that was every so slightly raisin-y -- more complex than I usually think of Greek wine, and very good with the food. For mains, we shared one fish and a main-course size order of softshells. The crabs were floured and sauteed, with a lemony sauce: very good, but not yet great. The fish, though, was spectacular in its simplicity: Lethrini (a new one to me) that was meaty and sweet, and needed nothing beyond their usual preparation of grilling and sprinkling with olive oil and a little parsley. (I forgot to ask for the head, but I think my sister-in-law might have freaked out if I had.) The fish was just under 3 pounds, and came to 3 very large portions. We also had a special of grilled asparagus that was better than any I've ever had to make: the spears were big and fat, and so could sit on the grill long enough to really pick up the smokiness. The sauteed greens were good as always, but paled by comparison. One of the highlights of the meal was . . . the butter! Made from sheep's-milk cream. I could have made a meal just on the bread and butter. Mmmmmmmmmm. Wine with our mains was a Premus Zitsa: very light by comparison to the Santorini, but a good enough match with the food. Dessert wine was a Moscato from Limnos: lightly sweet, not heavy and syrupy, just right. Dessert: a selection of cheeses (Manouri, Kaseri, and Metzovoni); galactabouriko, which this time came with blood orange sorbet; and crepes filled with chocolate, garnished with hazelnut ice cream and thick slices of green apple. I keep saying I'm not much for sweets, but I could have been happy just having those crepes (along with my bread and sheep-butter). We never even checked out the special Tribeca Film Festival prix fixe. (That's not bro-in-law's style.) But they might be more than worth it -- the cooking lets the excellent ingredients do the talking. (Since our table was pretty loud, I couldn't tell what the general noise level was; but the tables are well-spaced.)

I love the ones with handles (35000 series): I find them less prone to slipping than the original handleless 45001 (which I've been using for about 6 to 8 years now), and I still have good control. They clean up just fine, so I see no need to get the ones that pop into and out of the frames -- which worry me because I don't know what might happen if extra pressure is applied. (Probably nothing bad, but still . . . .) I just received a nutmeg grater, which I couldn't find on the site; maybe it's new. It's a compact plastic box with a removable grater screen over a collection box, and a storage part. Bar none, it is the BEST spice grater I've ever had. That "personal care" version is just plain silly, IMO. That's why god invented pumice.

bkinsey: if you can give us a link to the Cinco di Mayo Menudo Cook-off , I can guarantee that next year there WILL be eGullet entries.

Sorry Lesley, I'm not sure what you might mean by "an upset." All I know is what I quoted and heard announced; I have no inside information. But for the record, the third finalist in the Literary Food Writing Category ("Non-fiction or fiction food or beverage books that are distinguished by the quality of their prose. Thes books may or may not include recipes.") was Cookoff: Recipe Fever in America by Amy Sutherland, published by Penguin Group USA. I don't know what all the rest of the books nominated in that category were. I have not read either The Apprentice or Cookoff, so I can't offer any opinion as to whether Mr. Latte was the best choice. I just don't think it's right for people to say it is not, when they have no knowledge of the other competing books or of the judging criteria. Edited for coding, and to add: Thanks, Russ, for giving the background on the development of the rules.

Steve Klc: Why is is so important to you to have the names of all the judges? Are you insinuating that they are -- what? Not knowledgeable enough in the field, by your standards? Or possibly linked in some secret way, without the morals to recuse themselves? If this matters so much, perhaps you should join the organization -- they are, by the way, trying to start a section for Chefs and Restaurateurs -- and try to work from within to prevent those whom you apparently dislike from ever winning. How about joining the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences while you're at it, if you believe that the "wrong" movies sometimes receive Oscars? -- from the 2004 IACP Awards program To the best of my knowledge, no, the general membership of IACP does not vote on this; at least, I don't remember doing so. Nor do we select the panel. [irony] That is done in some smoky back room in Louisville, I suppose. [/irony] If you do the math, each member of the panel could have had an average of 32 books to consider this year. While it is far from a perfect system, I believe it is better than the alternatives of 1) having the entire membership vote on the entire list of 380 or so nominees (I sincerely doubt anyone in the world -- and remember that this is truly an international organization -- would be familiar with enough of them to make an informed decision), or even 2) having the entire membership vote on a "short list" whittled down by committee (which leaves open the possibility of ballot-box stuffing). All in all, I do not see this as a significant enough issue in the greater scheme of life to lose any sleep over. If a few more copies of a few books are sold as a result, I'm happy for the authors. If they happen to be books that are not to my personal taste, so what? Lighten up, Klc. Ms. Hesser has no more power as a tastemaker in this world for having won. Nor has anyone else any less.

No, actually the book is more a set of musings of self-discovery. Does that sound like SatC? (I wouldn't know; never watched it.)

I hate to tell you guys, but we NYers will soon be able to weigh in on this, um, discussion. It was reported in the Times today that a branch of Pollo Campero will be opening soon in Queens. Might just be worth a detour, as far as I'm concerned. But how does it compare to Peruvian roast chicken?

Well, that promises lots of T & A in the changing room. And those wacky dishwashers who turn out to know more about cooking that she does -- and more than the chef does, too. Oh yeah, and the chef will put the moves on her while she makes silly mistakes on the salad station and comes up with snappy responses to the leches on the line. All the while, she's yearning for the pastry chef who comes to work in drag (a la Martin Howard). Unless, of course she IS the chef (hey, she just graduated from culinary school, so she's qualified, right?). . . Oh god, I can't go on. Gah.

Well, since we can't have the little pitchers of simple syrup, like they do in Italy . . . I'd go for it. How much is 7 grams of sucrose in volume, compared to a sugar packet?

To add my reactions to Soba's excellent write-up: Actually, JJ is right: this was avocado topped with crab meat (with the slightest bit of chives) topped with lime sorbet, on a pool of what tasted to me like cucumber water. I know the menu said coconut, but I tasted cucumber. In any case, this was sublime. A real highlight, and probably the strongest flavor of the meal. Intensely carrot. Nor mine either; the subtle flavor of the fish was almost nonexistent. Wonderfully fresh, but little more than background for the olive oil, salt, and lime. As for the wine: HWOE wanted this, because it seemed like a perfect spring wine. It was. Maybe a touch heavier than I expect from Sancerre, but it went very well with the food nonetheless. Another big winner for me. Because the scallop was only lightly cooked, it still had the sweetness and texture of raw on the inside, with just a hint of "caramelization" on the surfaces. The pea were also very lightly cooked, so they retained their vegetal flavor instead of being sweet mush. And I was quite pleased to see romaine used as a braised (?) green; it fit the philosophy of delicate flavors perfectly. My first bite of rhubarb was everything I expected: sweet/tart, a great foil for the sweet and rich foie. Heaven. Unfortunately, the other pieces of rhubarb were more sweet than tart; a minor disappointment, though. The arugula added the necessary sharp contrast. Perfectly said. To me, the horseradish was a mere wisp of sensation as an aftertaste. At this point, I thought these were, in fact, an entremet, and that there would be another savory course following. So I prefered the avocado-lime-caramel. As pre-dessert, number 1 was the red wine sorbet, with a hint of burnt sugar (and yes, a very rich dairy flavor as well; my suspicion is that the wine used might have brought that "butteriness"). The mint-basil sorbet would have been a fabulous dessert all by itself. Yes, the passionfruit souffle and sorbet were clear winners -- and I usually don't care for passionfruit. But this had a more balanced sweet-tart-bitterness than usual. Tied for #2 were the panna cotta -- very clean flavors, a variety of coffees -- and the bread pudding, of which I only ate one bite. But that bite contained all the expected flavors (including a caramel sauce) and textures. The "financiers" were not; they were more like tiny zeppole -- a slightly undercooked blob of yeast dough, not particularly pleasant. Here was where I tasted coconut, in the chestnut cream (very good); the chocolate sauce also good, and the Grand Marnier was of a marmalade-like consistency. Delicious, but not easy to dip into. All the wines that were picked to go with our food were excellent matches. I'm not sure my wallet could stand a trip back soon, and I found the place surprisingly loud. But the one word HWOE and I settled on to describe the meal overall was "exquisite." So my mouth definitely wants to return.

I have several sizes of enameled cast iron lids (Descoware, similar to Le Cruset, which I have had since the 60s) These lids are heavy enough to weight anything and I use the size that just fits inside the pot. These have a loop handle so are easy to lift out with a pot hook without scalding the fingers. You can often find these at yard sales and swap meets. Just wanted to add: do NOT try using a plate that has any unglazed part. Not that it will break (although it might), but that the food particles will seep into it and resist removal no matter how much you soak and scrub it. I learned this the hard way, with a batch of stuffed grape leaves that needed to be weighted. Can you say, "Moldy china"?

Place the bowl so the steam is hitting it and the bowl itself isn't in the boiling water. It'll keep you from scalding your delicate chocolate. But isn't the steam hotter than the water itself? Or am I imagining that? Sorry, bleu. You're imagining it. Steam gets significantly hotter than water. Ever hear of the Steam Engine? Geothermal Energy? I thought the power of those was because it is steam UNDER PRESSURE. Think "pressure cooker" -- it's the pressure that tenderizes the meat faster, not heat.

Ah, now that it appears we have folks who know something: what is/are ollucas, and what can I do with the can of it/them I just bought?

I hope and pray I'm on time and not too late with my contest entry: CELEBRATORY FÊTING OF SHRIMP SCAMPI DAY. The major principal gala festivity happens and takes place in New York, New York. An alternate secondary celebration party is in Pago Pago, and another possibly maybe in Bora Bora. Twin lookalikes are specially and particularly famously celebrated this day-long 24-hour period. A male boy is crowned with a coronet as the Prince King-to-Be, and a female girl the Princess Queen-to-Be of Shrimp Scampi. They -- the two of them -- are given and receive a free gift of a pair of two stuffed filled plush velveteen representative depictions of shrimp scampi as toy playthings. Pastime games include and comprise: - double-rope jump skip rope - the telling and relating of knock knock jokes - two-on-two doubles ping pong table tennis. This set of these fun entertainments are observationally viewed with and through binocular telescope spyglasses from a long distance far away (unless the watching viewer has and suffers from double vision diplopia. Then in that case merely just one single is necessary and needed.). Traditional customary edible consumables, besides and in addition to Shrimp Scampi: - double beefburger hamburgers or bison buffalo burger patties - old-style old fashioned Popsicles - large grande café au lait coffees with milk - Gavi di Gavi or Luna di Luna viniferous wines (Est! Est! Est! for the militant hardcore imbibing drinkers) - and, of course, Doublement Gum. By the way and for what it's worth, this is really truly the single sole festival holiday on which people can mail and send each other St. Valentine greeting cards.

Mussels in Thai-ish green curry Sauce (coconut milk, cilantro, green onion, fresh green chile and pickled jalapeno, mint, recao, lemongrass, lime leaf, a tiny bit each of garlic and lime juice) Sourdough baguette for dipping Mixed salad with basil vinaigrette Dr. Frank Dry Riesling (the last of our 2002; on to 2003!)

What amazes me is that I DIDN'T hate anything: not the chicken roasted for 3 hours until nary a drop of moisture remained; not the veal shoulder chops fried to leatherette. Well, I didn't much like the canned peas or canned asparagus or beets left over from making borscht. But I ate them then without complaining. Now I don't have to, thank god.

ahem

Some of those recipes are fine, but they lost me with: Yummychef, you have to understand that some folks here pride themselves on taking the longest time possible to make dinner. Stick around, you'll see. AND you'll find that we can give that site a run for its money when it comes to great food with little effort (check the eGullet Recipe Archive for the famous Roasted Cauliflower; less than 3 minutes prep time, and no watching while it cooks. Now THAT's good.)

I make herb vinegars every summer: *Procure fresh herbs and white wine vinegar *Pour a little vinegar out of each bottle *Wash and pat herbs dry with toweling *Push sprigs of herbs into bottles; top up as necessary *Replace bottle cap and store; I keep them out, not even in a dark cupboard *As herbs are uncovered, top up with more vinegar Been doing this for years, and haven't killed us yet. And the vinegars are good for the year. I generally use rosemary, oregano, and some variety of tarragon, thyme, and basil (individually, although be the end of year I mix whatever's left -- vinegar only).

I have a vague recollection of an attempt many years ago to move the market to a computerized system, physically at Hunts Point. Can anyone confirm or deny? As a nearby-but-not-nextdoor neighbor to the market, I will miss it. When the smell is strong and the winds are from the east, I get it, and love it. Back in '95 or '96, there was a big fire in the market building above the stalls, and the whole area smelled like whitefish for a few days. In fact, I walked past yesterday morning, around 10:30, and happily breathed it in. It might have been slightly less bothersome since the hours were changed a couple of years ago, for the folks who live close by. Property values may rise with the market gone, but remember that the East Side Highway is still there, and it's not going anywhere, nor is the parking under it. And the tourist buses will still idle, park, and load and unload.